Rating: 3.5/5
Hooptober X | 7/34 | Decades 1/8 | 1920s
The story begins at Notre Dame during the Festival of Fools. There, we meet our cast of characters:
- Lon Chaney’s Quasimodo — a man born deaf, half-blind, whose only solace is the vibration of the cathedral bells
- Clopin, the king of beggars, stands in defiance of the royal infantrymen
- Dom Claude, arch-deacon of Notre Dame, whose brother Jehan has forsworn the deacon robes
- Esmerelda, the adopted daughter of Clopin, whom Jehan wished to take as his own
The townspeople mock and jeer Quasimoto, who hangs off the gargoyles and taunts them — even Esmerelda finds him frightening
In this, Jehan and Quasimodo are coconspirators, and they plot to kidnap Esmerelda. But Captain Phoebus rescues Esmerelda. and Quasimodo serves the punishment. But when he begs for water, Esmerelda helps him, and he develops a crush on her
But Esmerelda has fallen for Phoebus despite her engagement to someone else. Jehan fears losing her and will do whatever he can to have her, whether she wants it or not
I love the massive sets and the hoards of extras — Lon Chaney does a great job at transforming himself and taking on the physicality that he does. Some folks say this is his greatest performance, but I’m a big fan of his Phantom of the Opera
I think my biggest complaint is just how plot-heavy this is. We need title cards practically every time someone speaks, and every scene needs so much plot setup
Still, the third act is massive and intense, making the less enjoyable parts worth sitting through